Variable-lighting device for vehicles.



2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I Y IIIIIMIIII Patented Apr. 25, i916.

A. R. COLGIN.

APPLICATION FILED DCT. 2,01 1915.

VARIABLE LIGHTING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

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A. H. COLGIN.

VARIABLE LIGHTING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES. APPLlcATloN min ocT. 2'0, 1915.

l., www@ y Patented Apr. 25,1916.

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,Jaya/J 20A? C0500? 2 I By M" f AUGUSTUS R. COLGIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VARIABLE-LIGHTING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

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Application filed October 20, 1915. Serial No. 56,901.

.To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that l, AUGUSTUS R. COLGIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resi; dent of the city of New York7 Richmond Hill, borough of Queens, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new and improved.Variable-Lighting Device for Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved lighting device for automobiles and other vehicles and arranged to permit the driver to use it as a strong headlight, a dimmed headlight or a side light for illuminating signs land other objects at the sides of the roadway.

1n order to accomplish the desired result, use is made of a lamp casing, a lamp normally extending within the casing, and manually controlled means for moving the lamp beyond the front end of the casing. u

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding` pai-ts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of the lighting device with the parts in normal position to provide a strong headlight; Fig. 2 is a similar view of thesame with the parts Iin position for a dimmed headlight; Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same with the parts in position for side lighting` purposes; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view of the same; Fig'. 5 is an enlarged cross section of the lighting device on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a similar view of the saine on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

as a headlight for automobiles and Iother vehicles is mounted in duplicate on the fi'ont of the vehicle, and as the two lighting devices are alike in construction it suffices toa describe but one in detail. The lighting device is 'mounted on a bracket 10 attached to the vehicle and on the bracket 10 is fastenedy a longitudinally extending tubular I' casing 11 to the front end of which is'secured a lamp casing 12 within which normally extends a lamp 13 adapted to be proiected beyond the front end of the casing (see Figs. 3 and 4)', as heretofore more fully explained. The lainp casing 12 is preferably ofvparabolic shape with the inner rear portion 14 of its surface rendered reflecting while the forward inner surface portion 15 is rendered -control of the driver ofthe vehicle.

dimmed or non-reflective. The top of the i casing 12 is provided with a perforate hood 16 for the escape of the heat generated by the burning lamp 13.

The forward end of the casing 12 is normally closed by a cover 17, preferably inthe forni of a lens, for projecting the rays of light emanating from the lamp 13 andthe,

reflecting surface 14 onto the roadway ahead of the vehicle whenever. the lamp 13 is in the position shown in Fig. 1. VThe lamp 13 is adapted to be moyed bodily forward to a position opposite the dimmed portion 15, as shown in Fig. 2, so that only the rays of the lamp 13 pass through the lens 17 to the front of the vehicle to shed a dimmed light lonto the roadway, it being'understood that when the lamp 13 is in this position it is out of the focus of the reflecting surface 14.

The lamp 13 is attached to the forward end of a tube 18 extending centrally7 within.

the casing 11 and mounted to slide/in a sleeve '19 terminating at its forward end in a head 20 provided with a forwardly extending arm 21 supporting the cover 17. The arm 21 fits' against the inner surface of the lamp casing 12 and connects at its outer end with the peripheral edge of the cover 17, and the inner rear surface 22 of the arm 21 is rendered reflective while the forward inner surface portion 23 is rendered non-reective and is normally in alinement with the portion 15 of the lampncasing 12, as will be readily understood by reference to Figs. 1 and 2. The sleeve 19 is mounted to slide in the back of the lamp casing 12 and the head 2O of the "sleeve'norinally abuts against the said back, as plainly indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The variable lighting device when used The tube 18 is provided with a lug 24 wise in the sleeve 19 to limit the forward and backward sliding movement of the tube 18 withinthe sleeve 19. e The rear closed end of the tube 18 is yieldingly connected by a screw 26 and spring 27 with the forward end of` an operating rod 28 extending through the cup 29 held on the rear end of the casing 11. The rear ends of the two rods 28 ofthe two lighting devices on a veliicle are connected with each other by a crossbar 30 engaged by a hand lever 31 fiilcruined at 32 on the vehicle and under the .The hand lever 31 is provided with a locking pin 33 engaging a notched segment 34 for holding 'the hand lever 31 in whatever position von the end 35 and abuts with its forward end against the head 3G4 of the screw 2G.

' When the parts are in normal position, as

shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the spring 27 holds the end of the tube 18 against the forward end of the rod 28 so that when the latter is moved forward a prescribed distance then asimilar movement is given to the tube 18 tomove the lamp 13 from the bright light position shown in Fig. 1 to the dimmed light position shown in Fig. 2, and when the rod 28 'Y is moved backward vthen the lamp ,lf3 is returned from the position shown in 'Fig 2 to the position shown in Fig. 1.

-In order to project the lamp 13 beyond the forward end of the lamp casing 12 and with it the arm 21 and the cover 17 (see Figs. 3 and 4), the following arrangement 'is made: On the rod 28 within the casing 11 and .in the rear of the sleeve 19 is secured a post on which is pivoted a dog 41 nor- Inally resting on the top of the sleeve 19- to move forward and backward on the same on moving the rod 28 forward or backward for shifting the lamp 13 from the position shown in Fig. 1, the position shown in Fig.

2 or vice versa, the post 40 traveling during this time through a slot 42 formed in the 1 top of the sleeve 19. Vlhen the operator moves the hand lever 31 beyond a normal rearmost position then the dog 41 drops behind the rear edge of the sleeve 19 so that,

on the driver imparting a forward movement to the hand lever 31, the tube 18 and the ysleeve 19 are caused to travel forward whereby the lamp 13 is projected beyond thelfron't end of the lamp casing 12 and like- Awise the lens 17, as plainly indicated in Figs.

3 and 4. When the lamp is in this position the rays of light from the lamp 13 are projected sidewise aided by the bright surface 22 of the arm 21 to illuminate the sides of the roadway with a view to permit the driver to read the signs or view other ob jects at the sides of the roadway,.at the same time a portion of the rays of light pass forward through the lens 17 onto the` roadway in front of the vehicle. llVhen the sleeve 19 is moved forward by the action of the dog 41, as above explained, the sleeve moves the tube 18 forward by the lug 24 whereby theend 35 of the tube 18 is caused to move away from the forward end of the rod 28 arm 43 rides up the cam 44 the dog 41 is pushed out from engagement with the rear edge of the tube 19 to allow the previouslyl compressed spring 27 to push the tube 18 and the sleeve 19 back into' rearmost 'position, as indicated in Fig. l, with the dog 41 again resting on top of the sleeve 19, as plainly shown in the said, Fig. 1.

'E he lamp 13 is preferably an electric lamp and its conductor 50 extends rearwardly within the tube 18 and passes out of the same by way of an eye 51 to connect with a binding post 52 from which leads a conductor 53 to a suitable source of Aelectric energy. It is understood that theconductor 50 is sufficiently slack to permit forward and backward movement of the lamp 13 as above described without danger of disconnecting the lamp from its source of electrical energy.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by the arrangement described the driver can readily move the lamp 13 from the normal strong headlight position shown in Fig. 1 to the dimmed headlight position shown in Fig. 2, or into the side light position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 whenever it is desired to do so.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A lighting device for automobiles and other vehicles, comprising a casing,` a lamp normally within the casing, and manually controlled means mountedto slide in the casing and connected with the' lamp for projecting the lamp beyond the front end of the casing.

2. A lighting device forjftutolnobiles nd other vehicles, comprising a casing, a lens normally closing the front end o'f the casing, a lamp -normally within the casing, and manually controlled means mounted to slide and connected with the lens and lamp for moving the lens forwardly a distance from the Acasing and projecting the lamp beyond the front open end of the casing.

3. A lighting device for automobiles and other vehicles, comprising a casing, a lens normally closing-the front end of the casing, a lamp normally within the casing, a reflector carrying the lens and extending rearwardly at the inner side of the lamp, and manually controlled means mounted to slide within the casing and connected with the reflector and lamp for moving the said lamp, the said reflector and the said lens forward with the lamp extending beyond the forward .end of the casing.

machos 4. A lighting device for automobiles and other vehicles, comprising a lamp, a housing for the same and having its interior surface divided into a rear bright reflecting portion and a forward dimming portion, a lens closing the front of the said casing, and manually controlled means for moving ythe said lamp within the said casing from normal rearposition opposite the said bright reflecting portion into forward position opposite the said dimming portion and vice versa.

5. A lighting device for automobiles and other vehicles, comprising alamp, a housing for the same and having its interior surface divided into a rear bright reflecting portion and a forward dimming portion, a

lens closing the front of the said casing, a

reflecting and supporting band supporting the said lens and extending along the inner .s'ideof the lamp, and manually controlled means connected with the said lamp andthe said band to move thelamp forward and backward within the casing and to move the said lens, its supporting band and the lamp into outermost position with the lamp and lens extending beyond the front end of the casing.

6. A lighting device for automobiles and other vehicles, comprising a casing, a lens closing the front thereof, a lamp normally within the said casing and having-a stem, a manually controlled rod having a flexible connection with the said stem, a sleeve slidable on the said stem, a reflecting band connecting the said sleeve with the said lens and extending along the inner side of the said lamp, and a dog moving with the said rod and adapted to engage the said sleeve.

7. A lighting device for automobiles and other vehicles, comprising a casing, a lens closing the 'ron't thereof, a lamp normally within the said casing and having a stem, a manually controlled rod having a flexible connection with the said stem, a sleeve slidable on the said stem, a reflecting band connecting the said sleeve with the said lens and other vehicles, comprising a casing, a lens .closing the front thereof, a lamp normally within the said casing and having a stem, a manually controlled rod having av flexible connection with the said stem, a sleeve slidable on the said stem and having a longitudinally extending slot, a lug on the said stem and extending into the said slot, a refleeting band connecting the said sleeve with the said lens and extending along the inner side of the said lamp, and a dog moving with the said rod and adapted to engage the said sleeve.

9. A. lighting device for automobiles and other vehicles, comprising a casing having its interior surface divided into a rear reflecting portion and a forward non-reflecting portion, a lamp, the lamp and casing havingly ,lengthwise movement one relatively to the other, the lamp in one position being in the focus of the said reflecting portion and the lamp in another position being out of the focus of the said reecting portion, and means for imparting relative movement t0 the said lamp and casin 10. A lighting device tor automobiles and other vehicles, comprising a casing, a cover normally closing the front end of the casing, a lamp normally within the casing, and manually controlled means mounted to slide lengthwise of the casing and connected with the cover and the lamp 'or moving the same beyond the front end of the casing.

In testimonywhereof I have signedl my name to this specification in the presence ofv two subscribing witnesses.

aUGUs'rUs R. ooLGIN.

l/Vitnesses:

Trino." G. Hos'rnn, GEORGE H. EMsLIn.

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